Santa Barbara, CA (PR WEB) June 13, 2006 – United Naturals Food Inc. (UNFI) announced their decision today to join Vitamin Angel Alliance (VAA) in their Honduras Multivitamin program to address chronic malnutrition and vitamin deficiency diseases in 30,000 children in rural Honduras. 

UNFI will join forces with Vitamin Angel’s other partners in the Honduras Multivitamin Program including SIGHT AND LIFE, Anabolic Labs, Mutual Foods, Domino Foods, Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Medpharm, and  George Washington University.  The Honduras multivitamin campaign will target 30,000 children in remote northwestern Honduras. The area is still recovering from the ravages of Hurricane Mitch eight years ago and many children in the region suffer from the impact of severe malnutrition and parasitic worms. The campaign will provide the children with daily multivitamins and anti-parasitic medicine along with an educational program to address these problems.
 
“UNFI is proud to be joining Vitamin Angel’s important work helping to make a difference for the children in Honduras,” said Michael Funk, UNFI CEO and President. Howard B. Schiffer, Vitamin Angel Alliance, President noted, “UNFI is a leader in the natural product’s industry and their commitment to providing basic nutrition to the world’s neediest children says a lot,” He continued; “We will be using the Honduras program as a model to help fight malnutrition in children around the world.”

Vitamin Angel Alliance is a non-profit, non-sectarian organization dedicated to providing basic nutrition and fighting vitamin A deficiency childhood blindness and other vitamin deficiency diseases around the world since 1994. Last year Vitamin Angels donated over 100 million supplements to people in need in 40 countries around the world.

United Natural Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ: UNFI) is the largest wholesale distributor to the natural and organic industry in the United States. Carrying more than 40,000 SKUs, the Company supplies to over 20,000 customers nationwide and serves a wide variety of retail formats, including supernatural chains, independent natural products retailers, conventional supermarkets and food service customers.

“We know that malnutrition is the underlying cause in half of all children deaths under the age of 5,” said Schiffer, “We have a strong team assembled now and we’re all committed to giving the children in Honduras a chance at a healthier life.”

For more information, visit www.VitaminAngels.org

Contact:
Howard B. Schiffer
Ph: 805 564 8400